


Sunburned Country

by YellowBlue



Category: Red Dead Redemption (Video Games), Red Dead Redemption II
Genre: Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, M/M, Oral Sex, Rough Sex, Threesome - M/M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-10
Updated: 2019-04-25
Packaged: 2019-11-15 02:46:17
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,207
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18065102
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/YellowBlue/pseuds/YellowBlue
Summary: Charles Smith prides himself in being a stoic man of few words who uses his brain a lot more than his fellow outlaws. It's not easy to tempt a man like Charles. Except when his lover makes him an offer that he doesn't want to resist.





	1. Teaser

**Author's Note:**

> Would anybody even be interested in reading this??
> 
> The Arthur/John/Charles tag is more or less unused and I really wonder if Charles/Arthur fans and John/Arthur fans are even remotely interested in reading a smutty threesome with John as the sandwich filling.

 

“We would break him.”

 

Arthur couldn't help but laugh when he heard these words. Charles was sitting next to him, a worried and unsure look on his face as he watched John carry a couple of beer bottles to a small water-filled barrel, trying to save them from the hot and blistering sun that was shining down on them without any mercy. It was one of those too hot days were the men had all stripped down to their undershirts and pants, just keeping the minimum limit of modesty.

 

“He's tough. He won't break that easily,” Arthur eventually replied. The smile was still lingering on his lips when he padded Charles leg affectionately. It was only a small gesture, but it still felt somehow special to share this kind of the intimacy with the other man.

 

“I know, but he's so ...” Charles didn't need to finish the sentence. Arthur knew exactly what he meant. John was by no means a small man, but compared to someone like Charles the young outlaw looked like a skinny little runt. It was one of the reasons why he had suggested to approach John with the offer to join them, even if it would just be for one night. The thought of Charles and John together, of Charles' big dark hands wrapped around John's small pale waist had haunted his – not so tame – dreams for weeks now.

 

“He will be fine,” The blue-eyed man said absentmindedly, his gaze following John as he wiped the sweat from his face with the back of his hand before grabbing some empty bottles and carrying them back to one of the bigger crates where they deposited most of their garbage.

 

Charles turned his head, searching the other man's eyes. He still sounded unconvinced and unsure when he spoke: "You don't know that. He--"

 

"I know what he can take," Arthur interrupted the other. He definitely knew how far he could go with the brunette. John had never said no to him and he usually took everything the older man was willing to give him. There wasn't a reason why he would say no now.

 

Arthur had been honest with Charles from the very beginning of their relationship. Charles was not the first man that he had allowed into his bed and the thing – Arthur didn't even know what to call it – between him and John was still ongoing, even if he hadn't touched the brunette in months. He also never made it a secret that he would like to have the younger man under him again.

 

The dark blond gunslinger hadn't really been serious when he had mentioned that he was more than willing to share John. At the beginning he wasn't even sure what his lover thought about his idea to involve John Marston into their sex life. Charles had gone strangely quiet when he had heard his suggestion and Arthur was fast to drop the subject again. What they had was still too new and too fresh to risk it for a quick fuck with the other, dark haired outlaw.

 

It all changed during one night of celebration after a very successful train robbery. The whole camp had been drunk and in _exuberant spirits_ even before the sun was down. Dutch had let them run wild and apart from the moment when Bill hat almost set a tent on fire it had been a splendid party. At one point John had literally stumbled into Charles lap, cheeks red from too much alcohol, eyes glassy and a surprised look on his face when he found himself in the arms of the other man. Arthur had been equally surprised. Not because John had lost his balance, but by what he saw in Charles' eyes when he grabbed the younger man's hip and leg as he had tried to steady him. He knew that look just too well. It was the same look he had when he was hunting and stalking his prey. It had left him wondering what he had missed the first time when he had suggested the three of them together.

 

Later that night, when Charles had found them a more private spot, when his mouth was hot and wet on Arthur's and when their hands worked fast and desperately on both of their dicks he had whispered every dirty little detail and all the things he wanted Charles to do to John.

 

He wanted to see Charles' hands around John's hips, holding him in place while he fucked him hard. He wanted to see John at his limit when both of them had him. He wanted to see John so thoroughly fucked that he wouldn't be able to remember his name anymore.

 

Charles had come before he had been able to finish the last sentence and Arthur knew that there was a genuine chance that his fantasy could become reality.

 

“So, what do you think?” Arthur finally asked, slightly impatient and with a dry mouth. The heat was getting to him, or maybe it was the sight of John's dark shirt that was clinging to his sweaty skin. He wondered what the skin under the warm and damp cotton would feel like.

 

Charles didn't reply. They both watched as John bent over a crate, leaving his ass and long legs on perfect display.

 

“Imagine what it would feel like having him between us.” Arthur's voice was nothing but a dark whisper against Charles' ear, urging him on. His hand was still on the clothed leg of the other man and he squeezed a thickly muscled thigh before he let his fingers slip under the leather band of the thigh holster.

 

Charles was already tempted to say yes. The way his eyes wandered over the form of the younger man told Arthur more than words ever could. He just needed one more small push.

 

Arthur pressed his lips against Charles neck before he continued to speak: “You have no idea how lovely he looks spread out on a bed and ready to be taken.” He pressed another kiss right under his ear. “And how he begs when he's really desperate.”

 

With a quiet hushing noise Charles stopped him before he could say more. A gentle hand cupped his jaw and Charles let is fingers brush over the slight sunburn across Arthur's nose and cheeks, making his sensitive skin tingle. He looked at Arthur with a fondness in his eyes that the other man wouldn't have thought possible five months ago.

 

“If he agrees, I'm game.”

 


	2. Chapter 2

"You, Charles and me." A plume of smoke followed Arthur's words as he lit a cigarette.

 

"You want to ... ? You both?" To say John was surprised by their proposal would have been an understatement. He was still expecting something, _anything_ , from either of them that made it clear that this was not more than a fleeting whim or just a joke. When both men just continued to look at him he could only stare back, speechless and almost shocked by Arthur's nonchalance and the indifference.

 

“We're not forcing you. It's just an offer,” Arthur replied calmly, taking another drag of the cigarette he was smoking and wiping the sweat of his forehead with the back of his hand. Even though the shadows of the trees around Shady Belle shielded them from the fierce glare of the sun, it wasn't nearly enough to make them feel comfortable in their sweat soaked clothes. After several days of suffocating humidity and sweltering heat and with not even one single cloud in the sky they had given up hope that the current heat wave would be over soon.

 

With a curious look in his eyes John glanced over his shoulder to were Charles was standing next to the small mausoleum at the edge of the old burial ground of the mansion. The tall hunter had kept mostly out of the discussion, or rather negotiation. It was enough for him to watch the two men from his shadowy spot and watching was something he was remarkably good at.

 

Charles had started to watch John more often since Arthur had suggested that they could try and get him into bed with them. It was a couple of days ago when had seen John arriving from what was supposed to be the robbery of an insignificant stage coach and turned out to be the most lucrative heist the gang has had in months. Dark eyes glittering with excitement, a beaming smile on his lips, sunburned nose and cheeks glowing in the warm light of the evening sun.

 

There was something about seeing John's cheeks tinged with red that he had found strangely charming. It was exactly the moment when he had to stop himself from reaching out to put his hand on the stubble rough jaw of the younger and the warm skin of his sunburnt cheeks when he realized that he was more than just a bit curious and interested in finding out what John Marston would feel like under his hands and what his kisses would taste like.

 

A similar flush was dusting John's cheeks now as both men watched as him shuffle from one foot to the other, rubbing the palms of his hands on his pants. He looked nervous, but Arthur knew the young man was only trying to sort through his thoughts. This was not a bad start, because it meant that he was actually thinking about it, that he was considering what what Arthur had offered to him.

 

"How do you even think we can manage this? And where?" The dark haired gunslinger was still reluctant to agree.

 

He didn't even want to try to understand why Charles and Arthur would consider him joining them. John had seen them together before. Just small glimpses of seemingly accidental touches and fleeting kisses in the darkness of the night. He had also seen the way Arthur looked at Charles and how the stoic and distant look in Charles' eyes had melted into something else. He knew that he just didn't fit with them. These two gorgeous man shared something that he was almost too afraid to comprehend, because it would mean that he would need to think about other things as well. About Arthur and him. 

 

“You worry too much, Marston,” Arthur mumbled, the cigarette now stuck between his lips as he watched a small Alligator vanish between the mangrove. He should have known that John would need a while to warm up to the idea. Not because he wasn't interested, Arthur had seen the way he looked at Charles from time to time and he knew that the younger would never refuse a night with him, but because of what he thought he knew about the relationship he and Charles had.

 

"I don't think I do.” John crossed his arms, looking everything else than convinced. “Where do you even think we could do this? You planning to ask old Dutch if he's willing to lent us his tent?” Not that the idea of the three of them together wasn't already complicated enough, the logistics seemed impossible. A standard tent they usually used when they were camping somewhere in the wilderness was out of question and he didn't even want to imagine how awkward it would be if they would try to do this at camp.

 

"The hotel in Annesburg. They have big beds and the owner doesn't care what happens inside the rooms as long as he's paid." Charles knew that the other man was speaking from experience. They had found themselves stranded in Annesburg during a thunderstorm a couple of weeks ago. The owner of the gunshop who also rented his rooms to all kinds of weary travellers and shady characters hadn't even batted an eye when they had asked for a single room that they could share for the night.

 

"Well, aren't you romantic" John replied sarcastically, he couldn't fully hide the astonishment in his voice though. "You already planned the whole thing." The comment made Arthur snort. John had no idea how right he was.

 

During last days and nights he had caught himself more than once thinking and plotting how to make the young outlaw part of what he and Charles were doing. His new obsession had reached the peak two days ago when he and his lover had shared one of the rare private moments at camp and when he couldn't stop fantasizing about what it would be like to see John on his knees in front of them, feeling the tongue and lips of the brunet on and around his fingers as he listened to Charles' deep groans while he jerked him off behind one of the unused sheds. To his own embarrassment had almost come before Charles had been able to open his pants and they had both agreed that this had to end, either with John naked and willing between them or with a very clear and probably hurtful refusal from the young outlaw.

 

"What exactly do you have in mind?" John asked as curiosity got the better of him. The prospect of being part of whatever the other two had discussed and planned was tempting and so very intimidating at the same time. He had been with Arthur often enough to know that sex with him was never a languid and tender exercise. Arthur fucked like he lived. He didn't have any reason to think that Charles would be any different.

 

Arthur stubbed out the cigarette before he beckoned John to come a bit closer. With a small smirk on his lips he scanned the area around the small cemetery and the old fishing dock near by to make sure that nobody else was watching them. His hands found the hips of the other gunslinger and he pulled him closer towards him.

 

“Charles and I having you at the same time," he murmured against John's ear. There was no need to sugarcoat what he planned to do to the younger. "Both of us touching, kissing and fucking you. Just imagine what it would feel like having two pairs of hands on you." His words were followed by a sharp nip on John's neck and he could hear the sharp intake of breath. “I want to see Charles and you together. I want to see all three of us together.”

 

John didn't answer. His hand found the nape of Arthur's neck instead and he pulled the other man towards him. He stopped himself shortly before their lips would have met, a guilty look in his eyes as he remembered the third man of their party who was standing a couple of feed away from them.

 

“You can kiss me, you know,” Arthur said with a bemused smile, tapping the chin of the younger with his fingers and making John look at him again. “I told you before, the thing with Charles doesn't change the thing between us.”

 

The thing with Charles and the thing between them were different things though, both Arthur and John knew this just too well, but neither of them found the courage to say so. The thing between them wasn't less intimate or less significant, it was just different and maybe more complicated and confusing.

 

Even though John didn't look fully convinced he closed the small distance between them pressed an almost chaste kiss on Arthur's lips, painfully aware of the fact that Charles was watching them. And he was right, Charles did watch them and he liked what he saw. The stoic man found himself still surprised how much the idea of his lover kissing the man he had been involved with for years appealed to him. He was still waiting for the burning twinge of jealousy that he had expected from the very moment Arthur had mentioned he wanted to share their bed with John. It never came. Their twisted relationship made sense, somehow at least, and seeing John and Arthur together was almost as natural to him as breathing air.

 

Charles watched as both men shared another kiss, this one deeper and more sensual. The view of Arthur's tongue sliding into John's mouth, of Arthur's broad hands on the narrow hips of the dark haired man and of John's hand buried in the dark blond locks of the older man made him too aware of the heat that was slowly pooling in his belly and the droplets of sweat prickling on the back of his neck. Seeing them was indeed like breathing hot and heavy air that burned in his lungs. He hadn't realized that he had moved until he was standing right next to the two men, drawn towards the alluring sight and the low breathy moans that he could hear from both of them.

 

Charles moving closer to them hadn't been lost to John. A mixture of guilt, want and uncertainty was flickering in his eyes as he broke the kiss. He didn't know what he was supposed to think anymore. Not with the sensation of his lips tingling pleasantly from the the kiss he had just shared with Arthur and Charles watching them with an unreadable look on his face and an intensity in his eyes like he didn't want to miss even one single second of what they were doing. It was too fast, too much, too everything. He needed time.

 

"You're going to think about it?" Arthur asked, hopeful and slightly out of breath, his eyes fixed on the red lips of the dark haired man that were shining with spit. It had been their first kiss since he an Charles had started sleeping with each other. He had missed John and he only realised now how much.

 

“I, well … Maybe.” John turned towards Shady Belle as he spoke. “I don't know.” He didn't even bother to look back when he left the other two man standing there, surrounded by broken gravestones, decaying wood and rotting grass.

 

"Was that a no?" Charles asked, not missing the glint in Arthur's blue eyes as he watched John go back to the old manor house.

 

Arthur shook his head. It wasn't a no. It was a yes from a man who was still trying to say no. “He just needs a bit of convincing,” the older man eventually said, turning to look at Charles. For a moment he just studied the handsome features of the younger man. He wondered if he had approached the whole matter wrong. “Maybe you … ?” Arthur didn't finish the sentence. An ominous smirk was creeping over his face and Charles knew or at least guessed what the dark blond cowboy had in mind.

 

“Convincing?” Charles asked reluctantly, not sure if he himself was even willing to be convinced by what Arthur was planning, especially since seemed to be more of an impulsive idea.

 

Arthur pushed the other man backwards until his back hit the the big weathered and cracked gravestone of Dewitt Charlesworth. “You're good at convincing people. Had me convinced to sleep with you in no time.” The stone was warm on his back when Arthur pressed him against it and started kissing his neck and Charles knew he would probably say yes to whatever Arthur would suggest. The hand on his belt was undeniably a very compelling reason to agree with the other man.

 

Arthur kissed him then. It was an innocent kiss, much like the one John had given the older man only minutes before and Charles wondered if he would still be able to taste the traces of John on his lips and inside his mouth if he would just deepen the kiss. The slow and suggestive way Arthur let his tongue lick over his lips had Charles convinced that the older man definitely knew what he was thinking.

 

The insufferable grin was still on Arthur's lips when he spoke: “I'm sure you can convince John too.”

 

 

 


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A big Thank You to chiisu for her comments and suggestions and for picking out my mistakes!

An old silver ring, a couple of coins and a more or less nice pocket watch with a dented case. John knew it wasn't much that he could put into the wooden ledger that held their camp funds, but it was better than nothing. 

They were running low on everything again. Food, ammunition and medicine, even simple things like sewing supplies or soap, everything needed to be restocked, but nobody seemed too willing to really do anything during the daytime when this unbearable heat made hunting, cleaning, robbing and even breathing a torturous chore. Everybody counted the hours until evening, taking shelter from the sun in the shade of the old manor house they were currently calling their home, even though they all knew that the night would not bring a lot of relief from the heat and the humidity of the day. 

A cough behind him interrupted his thoughts and the last silver coin that he had just fished out of his pants pocket slipped though his fingers. John watched as the coin rolled over the rough floor and vanished in a gap between two floor boards before he looked up at the man who had startled him. Charles was slowly approaching him, holding a thin gold chain wrapped around his fingers.

“I guess the same thing happened to whoever lost this.” He commented as he looked at the small piece of jewelry in his hand, sliding the fragile chain between his fingers and wiping the dust off the damaged pendant. “Found it between the floorboards.”

Charles put an old-looking necklace with a scratched emblem that was probably an old family crest inside the ledger. With the crest intact it would have brought a pretty penny, but even in its broken state it was at least worth a couple of cents and a couple of cents meant they could buy some bullets which meant a higher chance of surviving the whole mess they were currently in. 

“You good?” Charles asked. The silence didn't sit well with him. Even though he wasn't the most talkative and social person, speaking with John had never felt so strained. He usually enjoyed the company of the other man. Charles always had the impression that speaking with him was almost as easy as speaking with Arthur. 

John answered with a low hum of acknowledgment, no longer watching as the other man closed the wooden box. He busied himself with trying to pry the coin out from between the floor planks, with no success. The coin was lost forever. 

With a sigh and another deep breath Charles turned towards him. He had enough. This pussyfooting around was neither his nor John's style. 

“OK, let's cut the crap,” Charles said harshly, hearing the old wood underneath his heavy boots creak when he walked towards the other outlaw who was still kneeling on the dusty old floor. He grabbed John's arm, pulling him up and taking a step backwards when the dark haired man shoved him away with a displeased grunt. 

“You're avoiding us.” It wasn't a question, it was a statement. With 20 people living in and around one medium-sized house it was pretty much impossible to not be seen or heard by the others, yet John had more or less vanished during the last two days. 

John didn't bother to reply. He had avoided them and he hadn't. There had been a dozen times when he wanted to speak with Charles and Arthur, even if he was still unsure if he wanted to say yes or no to what they had offered. He had stood in front of Arthur's door so often that he was surprised nobody had spotted him there. 

There was something that held him back from making the final step. A tiny voice inside his head reprimanded him whenever he thought about saying yes. The voice sounded a lot like Hosea when the old conman urged him to finally get his act together, take Abigail as his wife and be there for his family. And this was exactly the problem. John felt guilty for wanting what he shouldn't desire and for refusing what he didn't want to have. 

“You got a problem with me or Arthur?” Charles asked, not willing to give up until he had a clear answer from John. 

John hesitated for a second before he answered: “Neither. I just don't know how to say it.” With a shrug of his shoulders he stared at the other man, a guarded look in his dark brown eyes, like he wasn't entirely sure if he could even trust his own thoughts anymore. 

Charles waited patiently. He wasn't entirely sure what 'it' was that John wasn't able to put into words, but he was willing to give him time to gather his thoughts. 

“So, you and Arthur … are sure …” John began, trying in vain to find the right words, any kind of words, that would express what he wanted to say. “I mean, you really … want to, you know ... this is ridiculous!” With an annoyed sigh he gave up, crossing his arms over his chest and looking at the other with a mixture of helpless frustration and embarrassed confusion. 

“Say no if you don't want to.” Charles wouldn't push John and he wouldn't hold it against him. Seeing the other man struggle with the simple concept of saying yes or no to something Arthur had thought would be a great idea made him wonder if he had missed something about John and Arthur and what was going on between them. 

“No!” Both men looked surprised by the outburst and Charles could see the younger man's eyes widen when he realized what he'd just said. “I mean, I don't want to say no. I just don't think I should say yes. Not with you and Arthur being sweet on each other,” John tried to explain. 

Charles studied the other man with an unreadable look in his eyes. He wasn't sure if he understood the reason why John was so reluctant so say what was really on his mind. If he could trust Arthur's words – and there was no reason not to – Arthur had been John's first in practically everything and he had made it clear that he would never stop wanting John, neither after the first night he and Charles had spent together, nor after the 6 months they had been together. It had taken him weeks to accept that Arthur would never be fully his, that there would always be the shadow of John Marston right beside them. 

Maybe it was exactly that. The feeling of being nothing more than a shadow. Charles went with his gut feeling. “Are you jealous?” He asked in a careful tone, taking a step closer to the other outlaw. 

John hesitated before answering the question: “A bit, I guess.” The truth was, he wasn't sure. There was this tightness inside his chest whenever he saw Charles and Arthur together. John just didn't know if it was really jealousy he was feeling or if it had more to do with the nature of their relationship. When Charles joined their gang Arthur took to him almost immediately. There was never any awkward flirting or courting. They just happened to be a couple one day, like there was never a doubt that they were supposed to be together. 

“I'm not sure if I'm jealous. It's more the way you are. What you have.” he tried to explain unsuccessfully, unsure how the other man would react.

“Just don't be,” stated Charles with the corners of his mouth lifting upwards into something that looked almost like a small smile. His answer sounded so easy, but John felt already so frustrated and emotionally challenged that nothing regarding Arthur and Charles was easy anymore.

He wasn't good at this! He didn't know what he was supposed to feel. He didn't know if Charles was right or if he should ignore him. He also wasn't good at making decisions, not when they tended to ruin every relationship he ever had. 

“And you are OK with this?” John eventually asked, still doubtful that this could work out.

“I am,” Charles replied with a small smile, not bothering with an explanation, his eyes fixed on the dark questioning eyes of the young outlaw in front of him. He was fighting the urge to put his hand on the scarred and stubble rough cheek of the younger man when he saw John's eyebrows drawn together and his lips pursed in a confused frown. It looked strangely adorable in contrast with the scars that were giving him a rugged and almost intimidating look.

“Do you even … ?” John was again fighting with the most simple words. He felt like a proper idiot and moron standing in front of the other outlaw and not being able to string together simple sentences anymore. 

“Do I want to kiss you? Touch you? Do more?” Charles finished his sentence for him. And the answer was yes, he absolutely wanted him in every way possible. He wanted to experience what Arthur had the pleasure to do and to feel whenever he and John were together. He wanted everything John was willing to offer. 

Charles closed the distance between them, giving the other man the chance to push him away as he let his fingers slide over John's neck up to his cheek. “This alright?” Charles asked, feeling the younger man lean into the touch hesitantly. The feeling of sweat and grime under his fingers made this moment almost too real when let his lips brushed over John's. It was when he heard the low moan as the gentle touch of their lips turned into a kiss that he really became aware of the fact that he was kissing John Marston. 

John hesitated for a moment before he lifted his arms, still unsure where to put them. His skin was prickling with goosebumps and his heart seemed to skip a beat when he felt Charles deepen the kiss. The feeling of soft, plump lips and a wet tongue sliding against his own made him close his eyes before he was even aware of it. He had expected a more aggressive kiss, more teeth and a harsher rhythm to it all, but this was amazingly nice and slow. He hadn't thought that kissing Charles Smith would feel so good and so … right. 

With a small sigh John broke their kiss. Charles hand was still cradling his jaw and he only realized now that both of his own hands were fisted into the dark blue shirt the other man was wearing. 

The small smile was still lingering on Charles' lips. It looked good on his usually stoic face, John decided, it was gentle, warm, inviting. The young outlaw thought it would be so easy to steal another kiss from the other man. He just needed to lean a little bit closer and he would be able to feel the soft brush of lips against his own again. 

Before John could act on his whim Charles hands had found his shoulder and waist and he was steered to the old red settee that was standing in the middle of the room. He straddled Charles' legs when the hunter dropped back onto the small sofa and leaned forward for another kiss just to feel sharp teeth nipping his jaw playfully, coaxing a surprised grunt out of him. 

Charles smile got wider when he saw the flustered look on John's face as he hoisted him further onto his lap. The young outlaw was lighter than Arthur, he realized, his chest and thighs less heavily muscled, but there was still enough strength in his limbs to make him gasp and send a tingling jolt of excitement down his spine when the other man pushed him into the backrest of the sofa. 

“Want more?” Charles' question was a rhetorical one. The impatient nod John gave as he leaned down to slide his tongue between his lips and lick into his mouth was answer enough. There was a sudden urgency to the kiss that left the hunter breathless and almost dizzy. 

John was more than just enthusiastic, he was hungry for any kind of attention and affection he could get from the other man and Charles couldn't remember the last time he had kissed somebody with the same wild and reckless intensity. The moment he heard the other man moan into the kiss they were sharing he knew he wanted more. His mouth found John's neck, tasting the salty bitterness of his sweat as he licked over the heated skin and let his teeth scratch over the pulse point. 

“This is crazy,” John commented, his gravel-rough voice breathless and even hoarser than usual. 

John was right. What they were doing was reckless and stupid. He didn't know where the sudden impulsive urge to continue this was coming from. It was in the middle of the day, for God's sake, and they were right in front of Dutch's room, but Charles didn't want to stop, not with the sight of John's red and damp lips and his flushed cheeks right in front of him and with the feeling of his warm body pressed against his own. 

It seemed like he was not the only one who forgot or just didn't care any longer when and where they were. John's hands were back on his chest, bunching the cotton in his fists and Charles could feel the heat of the other man's body when he leaned in closer, his mouth was already finding the other's for the next kiss. John rocked against him with a lazy roll of his hips when Charles nipped his bottom lip. 

The idea of John wanting him, naked skin on skin and willing to let Charles touch, taste and fuck him didn't seem so far-fetched anymore. It sent a jolt of heady desire through Charles and before he even realized what he was doing, his hands were already busy opening the buttons of the dark shirt the other man was wearing. The feeling of hot, sweaty skin under his fingertips was enough to make his dick twitch inside his pants. 

“Well, I'll be damned.” Arthur's voice made them both jump. Neither of them had heard him, so focused on each other that they had missed the creaking of the floorboards under the heavy cowboy boots. The astonished look on Arthur's face morphed into a smug grin when he saw the disheveled state the other two men were in.

John let go of Charles shirt as if burned. Arthur's blue eyes were still fixed on the scene in front of him and the dark haired outlaw didn't know what to do except bringing as much distance as possible between him and the two men when he felt the twinge of guilt that was suddenly burning low in his stomach. 

When John attempted to get up from Charles' lap, there was a hand on his waist, trying to stop him - without any success. The young gunslinger also ignored the disappointed look on the other man's face as he turned to face Arthur who was still standing on the threshold, watching them with a look of delighted interest and poorly concealed hunger on his face.

“You two look gorgeous. I mean, it's a fetching sight you make.” Arthur's voice was strangely quiet and almost breathless, like he was still trying to find the right meaning to his words, because 'gorgeous' didn't seem to be quite right. Neither Charles nor John were anything he would call pretty or beautiful, but there was an alluring attractiveness about both of them that tempted Arthur into asking them to continue what they were doing. 

John dropped his gaze. He knew that the words were not for him. Nobody and especially not Arthur had ever called him anything else than an ugly and stupid bastard. This kind of flattery, they just didn't do this kind of thing. It seemed like things were different between the Charles and Arthur. 

“It's true, you know,” Charles murmured against his ear, standing next to him after he had gotten up from the Settee. “You're quite a sight.” As his fingers brushed against the small of John's back he gave him another small smile and the brunet was sure he knew by now how Charles had been able to lure Arthur into his tent without even really trying. 

John's lips were still tingling from the kiss or rather kisses they had shared only minutes before. He liked kissing Charles as much as he liked kissing Arthur, but there was this voice in his head again – Hosea's angry shout – chiding and reprimanding him for wanting and touching something he wasn't even supposed to look at, because this was not how relationships worked and because he already had a woman he was supposed to love and look after.

With Arthur's intense blue eyes on him and Charles' warm hand still lingering on his back, he didn't know what to believe anymore. He needed to think, even if he usually wasn't too good at it. And he wanted a cigarette or maybe a bottle of whiskey. Anything that would calm his nerves and give his hands something other to do than rub nervously over his pant legs. 

The broad form of the dark blond gunslinger stopped John when he walked towards him and tried to exit the room. Arthur was still standing in the threshold and judging by the half-smile on his face and the way he broadened his shoulders Arthur didn't even think of letting him pass. 

“You just had your tongue in Charles' mouth. It's a bit late to run away now.” The young outlaw couldn't help but notice the amusement in Arthur's voice. “Did you like it, Johnny?”

“Thought you wanted me to do that,” was John's growled response. With a hard shove against the older man's chest he pushed past him. He was definitely not in the mood to be mocked and ridiculed by those two men. The low rumbling chuckle that John could hear from Arthur as he followed him made the feeling of humiliation, guilt and shame only more intense.

“C'mon Johnny, don't be shy now!” A hissed “Piss off, Morgan!” together with a rude hand gesture was the only reply the older man got.

Arthur caught up with John when he reached the bottom stairs. There was a short scuffle as Arthur pulled the younger man back by his suspenders and shoved him against the nearest wall, making him cuss profoundly. Both men ignored Charles who had followed them down the stairs and stood now a couple of steps behind Arthur, watching the two men with a worried look on his face. He might not know a lot about John, but he was sure that it wasn't a good idea to try to shove him around. His suspicion was confirmed when he saw John's dark eyes flash dangerously. 

Charles could already see John's hands ball into fists when Arthur spoke: “Hold still a minute, Johnny.” To his surprise John actually complied with the request of the older outlaw. There was a moment of tense silence, both men just looking at each other, both not in the mood for a fight, but – as always when the two of them butted heads – unwilling to give in. 

Arthur was still holding John against the wall with one hand pressed against his chest while fishing out a pack of cigarettes from his satchel with the other. His hand left John's chest for a moment as he lightened a match with a flick of his wrist and held it against the cigarette that was clamped between his teeth. 

He took a deep drag from the cigarette before he spoke: “Stop looking so goddamn guilty.” With an arched eyebrow he scrutinized the stubborn scowl on the face of the young outlaw in front of him. “And stop being an idiot! You're always trying to run.” Arthur growled, yet is words lacked any real bite. 

Arthur leaned in close as he held the cigarette against John's lips and felt them part under his finger and close around the small cylinder. John glowered at him, feeling the blue-grey smoke fill his lungs, soothing the turmoil of want and guilt and confusion inside him. 

“You can kiss Charles all you want,” Arthur said, his tone getting gentler. “You can kiss me all you want and you can watch me and Charles if you like. I told you before, this is all three of us together.” His hands played with a button on John's already half opened shirt, teasing him and making the younger man squirm. “No guilt, no jealousy, no commitment for anything and definitely no regrets.”

John sighed. With Arthur's voice in his ears and his hands on his body he was tempted to agree to everything and anything that the dark blond gunslinger proposed. This was torture. Arthur hadn't touched him in ages and the fellow gang members were not an option – mostly because he didn't want to be responsible for another child 9 months later – to relief some of the tension he had been feeling since before the disaster in Blackwater.

His body still hummed with pleasure and arousal from the intense kiss he and Charles had shared, not to mention that he had almost humped the other man's leg on the sofa that Molly usually used when she wanted to read one of her tacky romance novels and now Arthur had that look in his eyes that he had learned to associate with stinging bites, burning touches and the sweet, sharp bliss of being fucked good and hard by the other man, regardless if he was ready or not. How was he supposed to say no? 

“This could ruin everything!” John argued half-heartedly. What he really wanted to say was that he could ruin everything. He tended to do this with relationships. The fact that he had a son he didn't really know and who's mother was torn between hating him as a person but loving the idea of building a happy family with the father of her son was proof enough. 

“Trust me with this, Johnny,” Arthur had leaned closer and his words were nothing but a rough murmur against John's neck. He could feel the fast heartbeat of the young outlaw under his palm when he pressed his hand against John's chest. “You're going to say no?” He asked, even though he already knew the answer. The moment he had seen Charles kiss him, he had known that John would agree. 

John could only shake his head. He couldn't say no. Not with Arthur's hand slipping under his shirt, his fingertips leaving a burning trail on his skin, and with Charles standing next to them, wearing that small smile again that was warmer than the evening sun outside.

It was Susan Grimshaw's voice that made them jump apart when she hollered that smoking inside the house was strictly forbidden unless they planned to sleep in the swamps for the next nights. The last thing John heard before Arthur snuffed out the cigarette and left the old house through the backdoor was a date and a place: The day after tomorrow, Annesburg.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It took me quiet a while to update this story. Sorry for that.
> 
> The Charles/John scene war fun to write, but it's still kind of hard to get the three of them together without making them totally OOC. John will definitely be in a less guitly mood next time. 
> 
> Comments of any kind are welcome! Even if it's just for pointing out mistakes or to let me know how I can improve my writing.

**Author's Note:**

> So, are there any Arthur/John/Charles fans out there? 
> 
> If yes, I really would love to know what you guys have in mind for the three cowboys.
> 
> If not, well, it's also OK. It will stay a teaser/one shot.


End file.
